Krause: Kraft should have candid conversations with Belichick, Brady

Here is what I?d do if I were Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots.I would call Bill Belichick into my office and demand to know why my team, the one that?s so championship-driven — you know, “The Patriot Way,” and all that — is so bad at this moment that it was thoroughly undressed on national television.?Bill,” I?d ask, “what gives here? Have you become a slave to your press clippings? Do you really think that because you won a few Super Bowls 10 years ago that you?re a genius? And that no matter what foolish thing you do to the roster, a little bit of “coaching ?em up” and a cheap scheme will cover it up? What I want you to do is go back to your lair, or your bunker, or wherever it is you go to get your game face on when you growl and snort for public consumption, and look up the word ?hubris.??Then, I want you to explain to me why our line — the one that?s supposed to protect the guy we call the franchise quarterback — is so bad we have to start two rookies in a Monday night game in what?s generally believed to be the loudest stadium in the world. And while I?m at it, how hard is this game, anyway? You?re telling me you can?t find one other receiver who can get open and catch the football so that our million-dollar quarterback doesn?t get killed first? We?re not trying to solve the Human Genome here. It?s just football.”That might be enough for Belichick to digest for one day. He?s probably not used to having his hindside handed to him by the boss, because for the better part of 14 years, he?s been anointed and canonized like no other coach, save for maybe Red Auerbach, in the history of the Boston area. A good “clear the air” session might be helpful.Now, continuing on this theme, I?m still Bob Kraft and now it?s time to talk to Tom Brady. I?m pulling rank here, because obviously my coach hasn?t addressed this issue or else we wouldn?t be seeing it week after week.?Tom,” I?d say, “you know we love you. You have been everything we could have ever hoped … and you?ve done this consistently for 14 years. You have never spoken out of turn, never embarrassed us (well there was that time when you said that fans showing up for a 4:15 game should get nice and lubed up beforehand so they can be as loud as possible, but that was a joke, and I know you didn?t mean it the way it sounded), never questioned our motives, when you probably had a right to … so tell me, why this ?Pouting Thomas? act now? Why are you (frittering) away all the good will you?ve created for yourself by looking like the world?s biggest poor sport now??Look, Tom, nobody — and I mean nobody — in this town has lived as charmed a life as you have. You look at all the icons … and they?ve all had bumps in the road. How many lousy teams did Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski play for? How many championships did either win? A big, fat zero between them. That?s how many. Larry Bird was done by your age because his back gave out. Bobby Orr lost the best years of his career because of all his knee injuries. Look at Drew (Bledsoe). He was our franchise quarterback until you Wally Pipped him. Next thing you know, he was in Buffalo. I?m sure he didn?t like it, but he didn?t stand around pouting. Instead, he told you to ?sling it? during the last minute of that Super Bowl we won.?Tom, on top of all that, none of them have married internationally famous models, which has allowed you to live a lifestyle of the rich and famous.?So Tom, I have to tell you, deal with this. Outside of one knee injury, which you seem to have recovered from just fine, you?ve come through 14 years of being in the NFL relatively unscathed. So if this year?s different, and the stars aren?t aligned properly for you, put on a good face and be the team guy you always professed to be. Shake the kid?s (Jimmy Garoppolo) hand when he throws a touchdown pass, even if it?s garbage time. Congratulate him for being a Patriot, and playing until the gun sounds. Those are all the things people ha